I can see
by Darkford
Summary: An AU where Connie is blind. Might do a longer story on it later, but anyway, here's a oneshot about it. Enjoy. EDIT3: The story is called 'Blinded' and can be viewed from my profile.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Another way Stevonnie could have come to be, in an AU where Connie is... sorta blind? Enjoy.

* * *

"But don't you see, Connie?" Steven grumbled, pointing to the frozen character on the screen. "He loves her so much!"

Connie nodded, ignoring the stabbing feeling in her chest. "True," she agreed, "but you have to admit, he only really knows her on the outside." She pointed. "See how his eyes fall to her waist or chest instead of her eyes? Or how he didn't realize that she was blind? Steven, he doesn't know her. Not really." She crossed her arms firmly. "You can't base a relationship on that."

Steven huffed. "If you say so, Connie," he mumbled, switching it back on.

 _Good,_ Connie thought, nodding to herself. _He definitely hasn't noticed._ She tried to ignore how his words resonated in her chest painfully.

 _Don't you see, Connie?_

Connie didn't really know what to say. Here she was, telling him that the boy in the film was ignorant... while she was simultaneously hiding her blindness. She didn't want Steven to treat her as anything other than an equal, and anyway, she'd always been a bit slow-moving. She could handle it as long as she was given time to pat down the area around her.

Her mother didn't know either. She didn't know why she didn't say anything, but somehow... it felt wrong. Her mother never noticed anything without her pointing it out and placing it in plain sight... which she couldn't really do any more.

She laughed at her own morbid humour and continued to listen to the show. She'd already watched the life out of it from when she still had her eyesight; now, it was like clinging on to the memory of being able to see. As Steven laughed at the humorous way the man on the show tried to get the woman's attention, she laughed at her own pitiful predicament, how desperate she was for silly little things.

She could handle this. She didn't need anyone's help, not her unobservant mother's, not even Steven's.

* * *

"I'm so sorry, Mom!" Connie cried into the receiver, gulping deeply as her mother sighed in exasperation.

She heard a thunk as her mother's palm hit her face. "Just sleep there, I trust your friends... enough," she ground out. She did a terrible job of hiding her distaste for the Crystal Gems, but Connie decided she had to be okay with what effort her mother put in.

"I get to sleep here?" Connie murmured, repeating them in the hopes they were true.

"Yes, Connie. You can't very well leave after eight o' clock. But I expect you to get to sleep, young lady!" She scolded, before the line was dropped entirely.

Swishing around, Connie cried, "Good news, I get to stay here overnight!"

Amethyst smiled back and giggled. She could only tell because Amethyst's emotions always shone through in her voice, which made her the most easily understood of the Gems for Connie. Garnet was almost undecipherable at first, considering she was usually quite emotionless, other than when she had to be firm with someone.

She thanked the stars Steven had a habit of leading her around, which she was relying on more and more recently. She reluctantly let go as they threw themselves onto his bed in the loft, grinning to herself and carefully tilting her head towards where she was certain Steven was, right next to her. He let out a giggle which confirmed what she thought, and she joined him with a sigh of relief.

 _Thank goodness. Another bullet dodged._

She fell silent, and soon the soft breathing of Steven filled her conscious. She wondered what would happen if she snuggled just a little closer... Steven always was very comfortable to be near. Shuffling closer, she fell asleep with a warm hand in hers and the steady beat of their breathing lulling her into sleep.

* * *

When Connie woke up, she felt... odd. Like she wasn't herself anymore. Her eyes blinked open experimentally, and then she gasped, her voice a bit alien, too.

"Wha... I can see?"

Her brief exuberance was interrupted by the strangest sensation, like someone was holding her hand, and looked down to her palms. They were both empty...

Sighing, she got up and promptly stopped herself. She... whatever was happening, she was really tall. She ducked low and walked down to the kitchen, glanced around, and decided to look for Steven.

Yeah... anything strange happens, ask Steven.

She paused and thought back. Steven had been... on the bed with her, right? She turned back and frowned. "Not here..."

Stepping outside, she glanced about and groaned. Her mother was going to panic when she didn't get home right away. Putting it to one side for now, she started walking towards the Big Donut. If you were going to find Steven anywhere, it would be there.

It occurred to her that whatever had happened had fixed her vision. She was a bit confused, but... she felt amazing. Invincible. Unstoppable.

She opened the door and walked in, feeling awkwardly tall as her hair brushed the doorframe. She trialed a hand over her hair and looked to Lars and Sadie, who looked oddly small.

"Hey, have either of you seen Steven today?" she inquired, still getting used to the way her voice sounded right now. There was probably no point in trying to get people to recognize her as Connie. It was unlikely anybody but Steven would know it was her at all.

"I'm s-sorry, we haven't," Sadie replied, looking a bit bewildered. Lars's mouth hung open as his eyes remained on Connie's form.

"Okay, thanks anyway," Connie allowed with a sigh. She turned back to the road and glanced around. Now, where to look...?

* * *

Steven wasn't _anywhere._ It was serious. Her predicament could wait, Steven had to be found, and she needed to find him _now_. What would the Crystal Gems say if she didn't find him?!

Well actually, that was why she was headed for the temple. The Crystal Gems would know what to do to find him, so she may as well ask. That was _totally_ why she was doing backflips and cartwheels towards the temple. It _totally_ _wasn't_ because she was just really high on life.

 _Totally._

She let out an excited cry as she fell onto her back, giggling giddily. This was _awesome!_

"Who...?"

Connie looked back at Amethyst, who seemed a little bewildered. "Oh, Amethyst! Good, I need to talk to you, it's about Steven-"

"Who are you?" Amethyst asked, frowning. Connie's face fell as she remembered she looked different.

"Oh, It's Connie, I just woke up like this and it was so strange and I couldn't find Steven-"

Garnet and Pearl burst through the door of the seaside house, dashing down the steps. Pearl was a bit faster, skidding to a stop in front of her and watching as Pearl looked her over, taking a step back.

"Oh my stars," Pearl swore in a hushed whisper. "You're..."

"Pearl, it's me, Connie!" She tried desperately. "I woke up like this and Steven was gone! And..." she paused as her eyes wandered to Garnet's expression.

Her face was a mixture of emotions that Connie couldn't really read. A bit was excitement, a bit was shock, and somewhere in there she could even see a bit of... sadness? Realization? Whatever it was, Connie felt the need to listen for what Garnet would say.

"Steven?" Garnet inquired simply.

"Yeah?" Connie blinked. Wait, why had she responded to...?

 _Connie, calm down._ _Everything's okay._

 _Huh? STEVEN? What are you- where are you-?_

 _I'm right here. I guess I should have explained, but you seemed to be enjoying running around and having fun. This is fusion._

 _Wait, like-_

"Garnet?" Connie - Steven? - inquired, though from her tone everyone could tell she was having an internal conversation. "What's happening? Why am I so tall? Why can I see? Why-"

"Calm down, Connie," Garnet said suddenly. "It's alright. But listen, you need to unfuse now. You're unstable."

Connie nodded without wanting to, and she felt her body splitting apart. With a flash of light she felt herself drop to the ground and saw the world go dark.

"Connie?" Steven's familiar voice was an anchor, keeping her grounded as she felt him grip her hand. "Hey, it's okay. I'm here. I'm sorry I didn't tell you what was happening..." His soothing nothings kept her calm as she slowed down, breathing deeply.

"I didn't even think it was possible," Pearl stated, still in shock. "Fusion, with a _human_? It defies all logic!"

"She was cool, though," Amethyst commented, clear awe in her voice. "uh... Stevonnie. The Fusion."

Garnet sat down next to them and pulled both of them close. "Listen, Steven, Connie," she stated seriously. "Stevonnie - the person you are together - is not one person, and is not two people. Stevonnie is an experience." She let the idea sink in.

There was a mutual thought between the two youngest of them, and they reached out, hands interlacing.

"You knew?" Connie inquired, taking off her glasses. They were useless anyway.

Steven nodded. "The video on the TV was different from the audio... you acted as if you could only hear it, and I figured it out."

Connie wiped away a tear. "I... didn't want anyone to know. I didn't want to be treated like I was helpless just because I couldn't see... and Mom and Dad wouldn't get it. They'd just make me work twice as hard..." her laughter was weak, and quickly died down again.

"How did you study?"

"Audiobooks."

Steven nodded. "Hey... if you want to be Stevonnie again, whenever, just ask, okay?"

Connie grinned. "Okay."

Behind them, Garnet's smile could rival the glow of the sun.

* * *

A/N: Just a quick oneshot, but might write another short chapter if you guys want one. Tell me in the reviews what you think, and if you want to see another bit added.


	2. Announcement

Hey-o!  
As I promised, the spin-off is out there for you to read now! You can find it on my profile, titled Blinded.

Hope to hear from you there!


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